Springboard+ helped Caitlin O’Mahony to bridge her skills gap
READY FOR WORK
SUCCESS STORIES
“THEY ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO HELP YOU”
KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND Enrolling in a Springboard+ course can help you to achieve your career ambitions
“I would absolutely recommend Springboard+ to others,” says Riadh Mahmoudi who recently completed a Level 8 Special Purpose Certificate in International Project Management with IBAT College in Dublin. “It can be difficult to find a job. But when you do a Springboard+ course, not only do you increase your knowledge and education, you also gain a lot more confidence too. After you get your qualification you can return to the jobs market in a stronger position. There were roles that, one year previously, I wouldn’t have been able to apply for them but after I completed my degree I was in a stronger position to go for them. There is no doubt that Springboard+ will help you to gain employment.” Riadh, an Algerian national, has been living in Lucan with his family for 10 years. Before
Ben Walsh Certificate in 3D for Games
3D BRINGS ANIMATION CAREER CLOSER TO REALITY FOR BEN WALSH “I would definitely recommend Springboard+ to anyone who wants to make a career in this area” 25 year old Ben Walsh from Malahide in Dublin had always been fascinated and impressed by the level of artistic skill displayed by the great Hollywood animation studios in movies like Toy Story, An American Tail and the Lego Movie. He had been drawing since he was a child and while Ben loved to use pencil and watercolour, animation always interested him. “When I left school, I studied Computer Science at DIT but I soon realised that it wasn’t for me and that my heart lay in a more artistic direction,” said Ben. “So I applied for one of the animation courses at Ballyfermot and was delighted to be accepted.” He graduated from the Ballyfermot College of Further Education with a Higher National Diploma in Illustration in 2012. Unfortunately, it was the height of the recession and as the course did not include the now necessary skills in 3-D animation, work was proving thin on the ground. So Ben took on other tempo-
IT WAS GREAT TO BE ONCE AGAIN LEARNING ALONGSIDE LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE 06
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rary employment, including a three month internship at the National Museum of Archaeology, drawing ancient artefacts by hand. His lack of 3-D animation skills was still standing in the way of meaningful work experience in his preferred career until a friend of his mum mentioned the Springboard+ scheme. He spotted and applied for the Certificate in 3D for Games course at the Dundalk Institute of Technology which had just become available under the scheme, and was accepted following an interview and submission of his portfolio. The course, which only began at DKIT in 2014, equips participants with skills in 3D modelling, animation, game concept development, project generation and management along with key game theory principles. The students gain vital software skills in programs such as 3D Studio Max and Unreal Engine 4. “I attended college two days a week and in between, there were plenty of projects to be completed,” said Ben. “There were only 13 of us in the class and it was great to be once again learning alongside like-minded people. We also received a lot of one-to-one support and mentoring from our three lecturers which was excellent for building confidence. One of my favourite parts of the course was creating three animated pieces of work in the 3D Studio Max program.” Ben also benefited from four weeks work experience with Glue Visual Effects in East Wall, Dublin, which handles visual effects for both film and advertising production companies. “I worked on animation for an exciting project and I loved every minute of it. I am now feeling pretty good about getting full-time work in this industry and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to make a career in this area.”
BY ENROLLING IN A SPRINGBOARD+ COURSE YOU CAN TAKE A BIG STEP CLOSER TO THE JOB YOU DESIRE
undertaking his Springboard+ course at IBAT College he had achieved a Masters in Law and gained strong experience in the work force with companies like Microsoft. “When I lost my job I was looking for ways to improve my CV and my employability. The IBAT course appealed to me. “No matter what business area you are looking to work in be it operations, HR, IT or marketing, project management skills will always be very useful. This course helps you to be more organised and to manage projects more efficiently.” Riadh says he felt comfortable in IBAT straight away. “The campus impressed me. It was clean and modern and the city centre location was very convenient for me. The lecturers were extremely knowledgeable and efficient. It was a six month course and it was quite intense. We studied international project management, operations management, e-marketing and international marketing. I found the modules to be useful and relevant to my career goals.” Riadh says that his new qualification was an important step towards achieving his career ambitions. “There are a couple of Irish companies investing in Algeria at the moment in industries like gas and agriculture. My goal is to work as a consultant with these companies and to help them to develop further the operational side of their business in Algeria. “My qualification, along with the other courses I undertake as part of my continued studies, will help me to work with these Irish companies in North Africa.”
Thanks to Springboard+, Shane Ryan has found his career path
Irish Independent I 6 August 2015
“I have been working with Intel for about a month. It is going well,” says Shane Ryan from Tipperary. “We make semiconductors, the chips that go into computers. It’s a challenging job. But I feel I have settled in. It is a nice company to work for.” Prior to securing employment in Intel, Shane studied a Level 6 Springboard+ Certificate in Cleanroom Manufacturing at IT Sligo from September 2014 to May. “Six years ago I was a courier in Dublin. I got a degree in Carlow IT in Mechanical Engineering. After I graduated I applied for lots of jobs but with no success. I was at a loose end. “And then I came across the Springboard+ course. I wanted to pick a course that would accompany my engineering degree. I was delighted to find the Cleanroom Manufacturing course. The first thing that I noticed was that it was not a long winded process for applying. It took about 10 minutes to
Caitlin O’Mahony Level 9 Graduate Certificate in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering
POSITIVE IMPACT ON EMPLOYABILITY “I wouldn’t be in this job if it wasn’t for that course.” So says Keith Bruton who is now working as an Upstream Biotechnician for Biomarin in Cork. Keith studied a three month Level 9 Springboard+ course in Biopharmaceutical Production with NIBRT. After he enrolled in the course it didn’t take long for work opportunities to arise. “I always enjoyed Chemistry in school and so I attained a BSc in Biochemistry from UCD. After I graduated I found it extremely hard to get into the biopharmaceutical industry due to lack of experience with specific equipment. I had heard so many people in the industry saying they send their own employees for training in NIBRT, so I thought that doing a course would help me stick out from ordinary job seekers looking to breach this industry. “After a month in the course I had been offered a job in Biomarin and most of the interview focused around what I was doing in NIBRT. NIBRT had a huge impact on my employability for this sector.” Today Keith has settled into his new company and is enjoying his work. “I have been working with Biomarin since December. It was a great Christmas present to get! It took me a month or two to find my
NIBRT GAVE ME ALL THE SKILLS THAT I WOULD NEED TO DO WELL IN THIS INDUSTRY
Riadh Mahmoudi Level 8 Special Purpose Certificate in International Project Management
After completing a postdoctorate, Caitlin O’Mahony had been working in academia for a number of years. When she tried to advance her career she found a number of stumbling blocks in her way. “I decided to move from academia to industry. However I found my experience lacked in-depth knowledge and practical skills of manufacturing processes and a GMP environment,” says Caitlin. She quickly identified NIBRT as the leading provider of courses in the BioPharma industry. Through the Springboard+ initiative she enrolled in the Level 9 Graduate Certificate in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering - a collaborative program with University College Dublin and NIBRT. “The course provided me with the theo-
retical knowledge and practical experience required to work in the Biopharma Industry. I would recommend this program as I believe it successfully bridged the gap in my experience and helped me to achieve my first role in industry. “I liked the way the course was set up. There was a big emphasis on the academic and learning side of things. There was also a professional development side of it where we had one-toone career coaching. That was really beneficial. They really developed your career goals and showed you what to do to achieve them. Before she had finished her Springboard+ course, Caitlin secured a position with Janssen Biologics B.V. in Cork. “I have just been made permanent as Senior Associate Scientist. There’s a dynamic workforce here. There are new challenges everyday. It’s a really rewarding role and I am enjoying it.”
6 August 2015 I Irish Independent
feet. It has been a huge learning curve. But things have been going well. I have been made permanent so I am very happy.” Keith is full of praise for both the Biopharmaceutical Production course and NIBRT. “NIBRT gave me all the skills that I would need to do well in this industry. What I do in my job now is exactly what I learned in the course. It really did capture what was needed in terms of putting equipment together and using it. It was spot on. “Doing this course has been easily the best decision I have made so far in terms of career progression. I would 100% recommend this course, it’s a no brainer!”
apply. You don’t need any funding. It didn’t cost me anything. I had to send in details of my degree and I was accepted on the course within a week. It was really handy. “I also liked the fact that Springboard+ have chosen courses in areas where there are skills shortages. At the end of the day I was aiming to find a job.” Shane says that the course has turned his employment prospects around. “The course lasted a year and I really enjoyed it. As soon as I had completed the course I started to send out CVs and I got completely different responses. I started to get interviews and before I wasn’t getting any interviews at all. “Sligo IT are great. They constantly send you job opportunities to apply for. They are always trying to help you.”
A CAREER CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Kara Crinion had previously worked in the hospitality sector. She decided to make a career change. And was looking to move into an area that would offer a number of job prospects “A friend of mine was doing a course through Jobbridge. She mentioned Springboard+ to me and said I should look into it as it might give me the qualifications I needed to reach my goal.” When Kara researched the Springboard+ programmes she discovered two courses she thought she would be interested in – both in the computer science field. She ended up opting for the Higher Diploma in Web Development at Griffith College Dublin. As Kara hadn’t stepped into a classroom in seven years she was understandably apprehensive. “I was nervous going into the course but at the same time it was something I really wanted to do. I had to really push myself as it wasn’t an easy undertaking. I found getting back into a routine difficult but after a few weeks I settled in and got my head into it. “I’m so glad I did. The course was really comprehensive and gave me a lot of practical
Keith Bruton Level 9 course in Biopharmaceutical Production
Shane Ryan Certificate in Cleanroom Manufacturing
Kara Crinion Higher Diploma in Web Development
knowledge. It was a lot of work but it covered everything you’d need to work in the field of computer science.” Today Kara is working in Web Together – an award-winning development agency. “Once I got my diploma I discovered that there were lots of opportunities available to me. There are lots of companies looking for qualified people and I now had the skills to meet those needs.” Still, she has a word of caution. “Don’t just sit back once you get your qualification and think the hard work’s over. I really found that I had to go looking for opportunities and contact companies to see if anyone was willing to meet me. That’s when I discovered Web Together and I’m so happy I went the extra mile in my career search. “If anyone is looking for a challenge or a career change like I was I would whole-heartedly recommend Springboard+.”
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